Ratchet drive mechanism



March 30, 1965 w. B. MARTIN RATCHET DRIVE MECHANISM 35\ 34) for@ IN VEN TOR.

B. MARTIN WALLACE mw FQMA AT TORNEYS March 30, 1965 w. B. MARTIN RATCHET DRIVE MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OCT.. 9, 1962 INVENTOR.

B. MARTIN WALLACE Maui-mw ATTORNEYS 3,175,408 RATCHET DRIVE MECHANISM Wallace B. Martin, Lincoln, RJ. (912 Fairway Drive, Towson, Md.) Filed Oct. 9, '1962, Ser. No. 229,450 4 Claims. (Cl. 74142) This invention relates to a ratchet drive mechanism of the type in which an elcctromlagnet is utilized for providing an oscillating motion which is transmitted to a. ratchet wheel on 'a shaft having rotary motion.

The ratchet mechanism of this invention may have many different uses, but one particular use is that of openating an electrical switch.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a device in which the ratchet may be directly actuated by a lever and pawl and then returned to position for engaging another tooth or teeth by a spring or in which an electromagnet may be utilized for drawing the pawl back to engage -a successive tooth or teeth at the same time tensioning a spring and then, when the electromagnet is deenergized, utilizing the spring to move the ratchet to cause the rotary motion desired.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple device in which this alternate movement may be had by interchanging the parts from one position to another.

Another object of the invention is to preform the parts so that interchangeability may be easily manually had by the user.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the `appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 'is a side View of the mechanism connected to an electrical switch;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the construction shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 -is a sectional view taken on substantially line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the spring and electromagnet in changed position;

FIG. 5 is a perspective View of the lever arm;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a base plate;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but omitting the contact arms land cam and illustrating the pawl unit in a dilferent position for actuation of the ratchet wheel;

FIG. 9 is an end View of the structure shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the lever arm; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective View of the pawl unit by itself.

In proceeding with this invention, I provide a shaft to which I Wish to impart rotary motion and mount on this shaft a ratchet wheel. I also provide an electromagnet and a lever arm which is to have reciprocatory motion to be actuated upon energizing the electromagnet and also a pawl moved by Vthe lever arm and a spring to move the lever arm to initial position after deenergization of the electromagnet. By arranging the parts so that their position may be reversed or interchanged, I may select to have rotation of the shaft caused directly by the impulse of the electromagnet or caused by the spring which moves the lever arm back to its initial position. I have shown two different mechanical means to illustrate the principles involved.

With reference to FIGS. l-6 of the drawings, I provide a frame comprising a pair of side plates 10 and l1 which are of generally rectangular shape and are held in spaced relation by rods 12, 13, 14 and 15 so as to pro- United States Patent O 3,175,408 Patented Mar. 30, 1965 vide a framework in and by which my moving parts are supported. A shaft 16 extends between plates 10 and 11 being mounted in a bearing 17 in plate It) and extending through plate 11 where it has a bearing at 18.

A lever designated generally 20 is provided with arms 21 and 22 extending at an angle to each other with bearings 23 and 24 in spaced relation at the intersection of these arms, and through these bearings 23 and 24 there extends the shaft 16, thus rockably pivotally mounting the lever 20 between plates 10 and 11. On the underside of the lever and on both `arms 21, 22, there are mounted pads 25 `on arm 21 and 26 on arm 22. These pads are for cooperation with the electromagnet which is to be provided. These arms 21 and 22 are :also provided with openings 27 and 28 for attachment of ya spring as will be later described. This lever 20 is also equipped with a pawl 29 which is rockably mounted in opening Sil in the arm 21 and is also provided with a spring 31 attached to arm 21 by means ol' openings 32, 33 for pressing this pawl toward the teeth 34 of a ratchet wheel 35 which is keyed -to the shaft 16. A spring pawl 52 looped about rod 13 yand anchored by pin 51 also engages the ratchet wheel to prevent rotation as the paw-l 29 is moved for a successive grip. As the ratchet wheel rotates, it will turn the shaft 16 which will drive the cam 36 which has notches 37 to engage the arm 38 and move its Contact either into engagement with contact 39 or contact 40 for switching the current of an electric circuit.

A base plate 41 in the form of an L-shape bracket has an opstanding wall 42 secured to the side plate 19 and is provided with four openings. Thus there are openings 43, 44 adjacent its opposite ends so that the spring 45 may engage opening 43 and opening 28 in the arm to pull the lever in one direction, or the spring may be changed to engage openings 44 and 27 so as to pull the lever 20 in the other direction or clockwise. This base plate 41 is also provided with openings 47 and 48 so that an electromagnet 49 may be positioned in one of these selected openings so that when energized, the appropriate pad on the lever arm may be attracted. When the electromagnet 49, as shown in FIG. 3, is mounted in the opening 47, it will cooperate with pad 26 so `as to draw the lever arm in a counterclockwise direction and cause the pawl 31 to directly move the ratchet Wheel, at the same time tensioning the spring 45 which, when the electric energy ceases, will permit the spring to return the lever arm against a stop to the position shown in FIG. 3 ready for a new stroke when the electromagnet is again energized. However, electromagnet 49 and spring 45 are arranged such as shown in FIG. 4 wherein tensioning spring 45 is shifted from the position shown in FIG. 3 so that it is now anchored inthe base plate in opening 43 and will engage the opening 28 in the lever, and the electromagnet is shifted from the position shown in FIG. 3 to opening 48 in the base plate, and if the electrom-agnet 49 is energized, it will attract pad 25 of the lever arm causing the lever arm to move in a clockwise direction. In this case the movement of the lever arm will be merely such as to cause the pawl 29 to move down to about two teeth, and the spring 45 will be tensioned but the ratchet spring will not move. However, -as soon as the electromagnet is deenergized, the spring will then move the lever arm to move the ratchet wheel to the position shown in FIG. 4 where it will remain until the cycle is repeated. In each case there is a pin 50 extending into a position to limit the movement of the pawl and the lever arm, while pins S1 limit the movement of the lever arm in the other direction so that the stroke will he the same in each case.

With reference to FIGS. 7-11, I provide a base plate 5S with arms 56 and 57 (see FIG. 9) bent upwardly adjacent one end of the plate. These arms support a shaft arverne E 58 between them in bearings 61, and on this shaft I mount a ratchet wheel 59 for rotation of this shaft 58. This ratchet wheel has ratchet teeth 60 as shown. A cam 62 may be mounted on and rotated by the shaft 58 having lobes to actuate movable contact arm 63 to move it toward contact arm 64 and close contacts at 55. These may control an electric circuit through lead Wires 66 and 67. These contact arms may be mounted upon an upstanding support 68 having a llange 69 as shown in FIG. 9.

This plate 55 lsupports the opstanding post '70 which is reduced to provide a shoulder 71 with a narrowed portion 72 overhanging plate 55. This narrowed arm 72 may be threaded through a slot 73 in a lever `arm designated generally 74 and comprising an armature 75 and an extending pawl support arm 76. A tab 77 with a narrow neck may extend out from one end of the lever arm to be engaged by a spring 78 anchored on the tab 77 and also anchored on a tab '79 extending from the lower ,end of the support 70. An electromagnet Si) is also mounted upon the base plate 55 beneath the armature 75 so that when energized i-t will move the armature 75 toward it so as to swing the lever arm downwardly. An adjustable screw 81 limits the movement or the arm upwardly in response to the spring 78.

A unit designated generally 82 which I term a pawl member comprises a bracket 83 having an arm 34 upon which there is a U-shape bale-like pawl S5 pivo-tally mounted by means of arms 86. This pawl has a crossbar 87 adapted to engage the ratchet teeth either along their abutment surface 88 or it may hook under the teeth on the diametrically opposite side of the ratchet wheel so 'as to pull the teeth upwardly such as shown in FIG. 7. A pawll stop 95 limit-s the swinging movement of the pawl 85. A spring 89 serves to swing this pawl against the ratchet Wheel in either of its two posi tions. This unit 82 may be mounted in the arm 76 by means of vthe openings 90 or 91 either in the position shown in FIG. 7 or in the position shown in FIG. 8 which is the reverse therefrom. Thus the holes 92 and 93 of the pawl member m-ay be arranged so that the hole 92 may register with the hole 90 while the hole 91 registers with the hole 93, or the parts may be reversed so that the hole 92 registers with the hole 91 and the hole 93 registers with the hole 90. Thus the pawl will be positioned in either position shown in FIG. 7 or shown in FIG. 8. In one position the electromagnet as it is energized and receives a magnetic impulse will directly act upon the ratchet wheel as shown in FIG. 8, Whereas in FIG. 7 when the magnetic impulse is received, the pawl will slide along the ratchet teeth and when the magnet is deenergized, the spring 78 will cause the wheel to rotate.

I claim:

1. In a mechanism of the type described, -a shaft, a

wheel having ratchet teeth Xed on said shaft, a lever arm having means for electromagnetic attraction, a pivot for the arm, a pawl member carried by said arm engageable with said teeth to actuate lthe Wheel upon oscillating movement of the lever arm, an electromagnet member for cooperation with said lever arm for rocking the lever arm in response to an electrical impulse, a spring member to return said lever arm to initial position, mounting means tor said members, said mounting means atfording selective mounting or interchange of the relative position of two of said members whereby )said ratchet wheel may be selectively either directly actuated through the pawl by the electromagnet or the lever arm may be moved to tension the spring and the pawl moved to engage a tooth of the ratchet wheel and thereafter the Wheel rotated by the spring.

2. A mechanism as in claim l wherein the selective mounting means reverses the position ot the pawl member to locate the pawl on one side or the other of said ratchet wheel for direct or indirect action thereof.

3. A mechanism as in claim l wherein the selective mounting means reverses the relative positions of the electromagnet member and the spring member.

4. Tn a mechanism of the type described, a wheel having ratchet teeth, a lever arm, a pivot for the arm, said arm carrying a pawl at one side of the pivot engageable with said teeth to actuate the Wheel upon oscillating movement of the lever varrn, armature pads, one carried by the lever arm on one side of said pivot and one carried by the lever arm on the other side of the pivot, an anchor plate spaced from said pivot, spaced means on said plate to selectively mount on the plate an electromagnet for cooperation with one of said pads for rocking the lever arm in one direction in response to an electrical impulse `and spaced means on said plate to selectively mount a spring to act on said lever arm to move it in this opposite direction from .the movement imparted by said electromagnet `whereby said ratchet wheel may be selectively either directly actuated through the pawl `by the electromagnet or the lever arm may be moved to tension the spring and the pawl moved fro-engage a tooth of the ratchet wheel and thereafter' the wheel rotated by the spring.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,047,122 7/ 36 Brandenburger 340-41 2,216,935 10/40 Breitenstein 317-165 2,994,227 8/61 Lips 74-142 3,095,751 7/63 Enslein 74-142 3,137,176 6/64 Wright 74-142 BROUGHTON G. DURHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A MECHANISM OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED, A SHAFT, A WHEEL HAVING RATCHET TEETH FIXED ON SAID SHAFT, A LEVER ARM HAVING MEANS FOR ELECTROMAGNETIC ATTRACTION, A PIVOT FOR THE ARM, A PAWL MEMBER CARRIED BY SAID ARM ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID TEETH TO ACTUATE THE WHEEL UPON OSCILLATING MOVEMENT OF THE LEVER ARM, AN ELECTROMAGNET 